Commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1923,[2][3] Bourne, promoted to lieutenant in February 1925,[4] served in Hong Kong from 1930 to 1932, in Gibraltar from 1933 and 1934, as a student at the Staff College, Camberley in 1935 and 1936, during which time he was promoted to captain,[5] and in Colchester in 1937.

[2] In 1944, after commanding the 21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, throughout most of 1943,[6] and serving for six months as a staff officer with South East Asia Command, he was commander of the 152nd (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, fighting with the regiment in Italy, before serving with I Airborne Corps as a Brigadier General Staff (BGS) fighting in Belgium.

[2] Between 1945 and 1946, Bourne was Commander, Royal Artillery with the 5th Indian Division in Java, and worked at the Imperial Defence College in 1947.

[2][6] Bourne was Commander-in-Chief, Middle East Land Forces in 1957 and Commandant of the Imperial Defence College from 1958 to 1959.

[8] On 22 August 1964, he was created a life peer with the title Baron Bourne, of Atherstone in the County of Warwick.